


christmas cookies

by hondayota



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 10:03:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13164630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hondayota/pseuds/hondayota
Summary: for dysfunctional-college-roommates who asked for baking Christmas cookies for pynch secret santa 2017!!this story does not contain a lot of baking. it does, however, have emotional conversation, movie marathons, and a flour fight, so





	christmas cookies

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this!! I feel like i haven't written in forever but i love this prompt so fingers crossed
> 
> this was written and posted on my phone so pls lmk if the format is off or if there are any other issues

Adam opened the door of his room above St. Agnes at the second knock and smiled as Blue pulled him into a hug. 

A part of Adam had half-expected it to be Ronan, even though they were meeting him at The Barns. He had known, logically, that it would be Blue it some vaguely Christmas-tree-shaped dress and her hair spiked up like a star on top, that if he looked out the window Gansey would wave to him from the Pig and consider honking before remembering that the nuns would have his head, but he had still, almost, prepared to open the door on Ronan. Over the past year, Ronan had made a habit of turning up on Adam's doorstep uninvited to sleep on the floor next to Adam's mattress or screw around while Adam did homework or just generally take up space in the already small room. Adam had made a habit of letting him.

"Merry Christmas, Adam," Blue murmured in his good ear. "Sorry we're late. Pig..."

"Wouldn't start," Adam finished with her, and she laughed. "Of course not," she continued, "it's a magnificent pile of junk. I love it." 

There was a happy glint in her eyes as she broke away from Adam and started down the stairs, and Adam felt her joy echoed in his bones. 

\- 

As they sped toward The Barns, Gansey caught Adam's gaze in the rear view mirror and asked: "Do you know what's happening when we get to Ronan's?" 

Adam snorted. "I got the same invitation you did, I'm assuming. Through Matthew?" 

Gansey nodded. So did Blue. "Come to The Barns for Christmas Eve! I'll be there and so will Declan! Ronan wants you there but he's refusing to text! It'll be great!" She chirped in a probable imitation of Matthew's bubbly voice. "I'm intrigued." 

"I've been for Christmas before," Gansey said, quietly, "when I couldn't stomach going home. But not for years. I imagine things have changed." 

-

The Barns had definitely changed since Adam had last been there. 

Gansey parked the Pig under a canopy of lights and began to laugh. "It's incredible!" He shouted, clambering out of the car. "He must have dreamt this." 

Blue took Gansey's hand and craned her neck, face bright in the glow of the Christmas lights. "There must be thousands," she breathed. "Holy shit." 

Gansey was still laughing, his face flush with wonder. 

It had grown dark on their drive, but standing in The Barns' expansive driveway, Adam would have sworn it was daylight. Lights dripped from every tree, roof outcropping, any space lights could hang. There were a few, directly overhead, that appeared to float on their own. Adam stretched out a hand and watched the changing colors wash over it, redgreenbluepurplegoldwhite, the faux-icicles bob around his fingers. It was snowing a bit, which wasn't magic, just coincidence, but it felt important nonetheless. The whole scene reminded him of the Great Hall on Christmas in Harry Potter, something wondrous and fantastic and unattainable that he'd dreamed of as a kid. And here he was, at the center of it. There was a joy inside him so big he didn't know what to do with it. 

"We're going inside, Adam," Blue called, and he nodded to her, gaze still on the lights. 

Adam didn't know how long he stood out there, surrounded by magic, before Ronan found him. 

"Hey asshole," Ronan called from the doorway, and Adam flipped him off but turned to look all the same. "Are you gonna come inside or just fucking freeze to death out here?" 

Ronan's face was bathed in the soft pulse of the lights which tangled in the angles of his cheeks, and Adam was pretty sure he would've followed Ronan anywhere at that moment. 

-

Ronan led him to the kitchen. 

There were trays of Christmas cookies on every semi-flat surface, and Adam did a double take as Ronan began to sprinkle flour over a baking sheet. 

Ronan didn't seem to notice Adam's confusion. "Here, you can roll out dough. Ashley is helping Matthew decorate. Gansey fucked off somewhere with Declan. Blue's in the barn with Opal. Don't ask why, no one knows." He handed Adam a rolling pin, their fingers brushing over the wood. Ronan's were caked with flour, and Adam's heart skipped a beat. 

"Cookies?" Adam asked, dumbly. Clearly, they were making cookies. Ronan was making cookies. But Adam's mental image of "Ronan Lynch baking" contained at least two oven fires and no edible results and refused to align itself with the endless trays of Christmas cookies spread throughout the Barns and the wrinkle of concentration between Ronan's brows as he cut the dough into little stars and trees. 

"Family tradition," Ronan answered. He sliced the excess dough from around a perfectly shaped gingerbread man. "We...Mom used to dig up all the recipes she could find and we could never choose which to make, so we'd do all of them. She let me and Declan help with the mixing and everything and we'd fight over who got to crack the eggs, and Dad and Matthew would decorate. And we'd eat until we were all sick." 

Ronan grew quiet. Adam glanced up from his dough and caught Ronan's eyes, which were misty and dared Adam to comment on that fact. Adam didn't, but he didn't break his gaze, either. He watched the rise and fall of Ronan's chest as he took deep breaths, noted the way Ronan's bottom lip was chapped from the cold, wondered how it would feel against his own mouth. Ronan looked at Adam for a long moment, then flicked his dark lashes down and cleared his throat. "Anyway. We haven't done it since he died. And I thought, why the fuck not." 

Adam understood that Ronan meant: I finally have family again. He knew the feeling well enough, had often caught himself mid-laugh drinking in Gansey and Blue and Ronan, always Ronan, and thinking what a scattered, perfect, magic-chasing galaxy they were.  
He said: "Do you have snickerdoodles?" 

Ronan grinned and pointed to the kitchen table. "Of course. I'm not a fucking amateur."

-

Ronan gathered everyone into the living room, and they ate cookies until they were sick. 

Ronan passed out presents from under the Christmas tree, which was definitely too tall to fit beneath the roof and was definitely, somehow, fitting anyway. They were dream things, mostly, small but infinitely thoughtful. Adam unwrapped another container of hand cream and felt his cheeks warm. He looked and Ronan and Ronan looked back. 

Gansey fell asleep during Home Alone, the third of their Christmas movie marathon lineup. His head fell on Blue's shoulder and their hands were still intertwined, and Adam marveled at how easily Gansey grew quiet with Blue around. Blue's chin dropped to her chest during The Santa Clause, and Declan and Ashley excused themselves to look at some of Niall's creations during Miracle on 34th Street. Matthew and Opal had sprawled on the floor hours ago, during Jingle All The Way, and only Adam and Ronan were left, leaning against opposite sides of the couch as the Polar Express chugged toward the North Pole. They snuck glances at each other until Adam felt something had to happen. Eventually, Ronan stood up and began to gather everyone's empty plates. 

Adam followed Ronan to the kitchen yet again, and they washed dishes in silence. Ronan brushed flour off the countertops and into the trash. When he turned back to Adam, there was a streak of flour across his cheek, and Adam laughed. 

The corner of Ronan's mouth quirked. "What's so funny, Parrish?" He asked, and swiped a hand across his face, which only left more flour on his skin. 

Adam laughed again and took a step closer. "You've got some shit on your face, Lynch. Here, I'll get it." 

Before Adam could stop himself, his hand was resting on Ronan's cheek, his thumb trailing across Ronan's cheekbone, dusting away the flour. He and Ronan were closer than he'd thought; he could hear Ronan's sharp inhale. 

"Is it off?" Ronan asked, softly. 

"Not quite." That was true, but it was also true that Adam wasn't ready to move away just yet. He brushed his thumb over Ronan's skin, memorizing the heat and the softness beneath the flour. He could feel Ronan's heartbeat in in his palm. They were so close. If Ronan titled his head down a few inches, or Adam swallowed his fears and tilted his up...

"Adam?" Ronan said, and scrubbed a flour-coated hand through Adam's hair with a smirk. 

Adam leapt backward and glared daggers at Ronan, who put his palm flat in front of him and blew, sending a spray of flour into Adam's face. 

"Oh, fuck you, Lynch," Adam shot, groping for the bag of flour without taking his eyes off Ronan. He couldn't be mad about the flour on his face or clothes; Ronan had a washing machine, and Adam could afford to have fun, finally. His fingers closed around the bag and he upended it on Ronan's head, sending a flurry of white over Ronan and his surroundings. They'd used up most of the flour baking, but there was still enough left to coat Ronan like snow. It was almost beautiful, Adam thought, the way the light caught the flour drifting to the floor, until Ronan scooped some off the ground and flung it at Adam. 

They kept up the fight until both of them resembled unfortunate snowmen, like something Opal might have made because she knew vaguely what a snowman was but not enough to make a presentable one, and until their sides hurt from laughing, and then Ronan said: "You can borrow something to sleep in if you want to wash your shit." 

Adam allowed Ronan to lend him a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt, which he changed into in Matthew's room while Ronan changed in his own room, and watched Ronan but both their clothes in the washing machine. He wondered if the machine was dreamt, or if there was just something about Ronan that made everything seem magical. While he was still thinking it over, Ronan reached out and took a piece of Adam's hair between his fingers, leaning in closer to peer at it. 

"You've still got flour in your hair," he smiled, "What a fucking mess." 

Adam looked at the curve of Ronan's smile and felt at home. He thought of how safe he felt when he was with Ronan, no matter how much stupid shit they did. He thought of the floating lights outside The Barns, their glow leaking through the laundry room window and whispering against Ronan's face. He thought of how the flour was definitely out of his hair by now, but Ronan was still standing close enough that Adam could feel his breath. He thought of Ronan's eyes on his, of family traditions and how he'd always ached to be a part of some good ones. 

"Ronan?" Adam said, and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what y'all think and hmu on tumblr @nymphhadora


End file.
